Mage armor says this:
You ward yourself with shimmering magical energy, gaining a +1 item bonus to AC and a maximum Dexterity modifier of +5. While wearing mage armor, you use your unarmored proficiency to calculate your AC.
The language here suggests that, though mage armor uses your unarmored proficiency, it isn't actually unarmored.
Meanwhile, Bracers of Armor says this:
These stiff leather armguards grant you a +1 item bonus to AC and saving throws, and a maximum Dexterity modifier of +5. You can affix talismans to bracers of armor as though they were light armor.
Obviously both this and mage armor add an item bonus, so neither work together, but the bracers of armor has no language to suggest it's actually treating you as wearing armor. This suggests you are actually unarmored.
Meanwhile, let's look at Scales of the Dragon from Dragon Disciple:
Scales grow across your body, protecting you against physical and magical threats. When you're unarmored, the scales give you a +2 status bonus to AC with a Dexterity cap of +2. Your resistance from Dragon Disciple Dedication increases to 3 + half your level.
This one is asking for you to specifically be unarmored, but grants a status bonus and not an item bonus. So presumably, it stacks with any effect that grants an item bonus to AC. But what effects actually grant that while still being unarmored? From what I can tell, only bracers of armor between the two first options I listed seem to count. Is this accurate?
(Also, I'm assuming you use the worst of the dex caps, so the scales will always take precedent there.)
It's the same as wearing Explorer's clothes, with runes etched to it.
You can benefit from AC provided from runes, but you still will be considered unarmored.
Drakeheart Mutagen with Mountain Stance is good. The stance gets you a +4 status bonus which stacks with the +4 to +7 item bonus from the mutagen. It does set a +0 cap for your Dex bonus. (Mountain Stronghold raises that to +1.)
So a 1st level Monk using Mountain Stance, a lesser Drakeheart Mutagen, and a shield would have:
AC = 10 + proficiency + stance + mutagen + shield
= 10 + 5 + 4 + 4 + 2
= 25
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Drakeheart Mutagen with Mountain Stance is good. The stance gets you a +4 status bonus which stacks with the +4 to +7 item bonus from the mutagen. It does set a +0 cap for your Dex bonus. (Mountain Stronghold raises that to +1.)
The people at Paizo have noted that this is specifically not an intended interaction and will be errata'd to not work in some fashion ASAP.
Whether that'll hit Mountain Stance or Drakeheart Mutagen is still a bit ambiguous, but this combo is not long for this world.
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Do you know what they were referring to in particular? Surely different bonus types we still stack.
I wonder if they meant to make Drakeheart a status bonus or something.
Different types of bonuses will surely continue to stack. But they didn't actually state a specific solution, just that there was a problem and they were going to fix it.
Personally, I think they might might adjust the language of Drakeheart to count as armor in some sense, but that's pure speculation on my part.
It wI'll almost certainly be Mountain Stance that changes. The large Status bonus taking the role normally filled by an item bonus is the issue, and this is not the only instance where Mountain Stance allows things to combine in unintended ways.
Drakeheart Mutagen with Mountain Stance is good. The stance gets you a +4 status bonus which stacks with the +4 to +7 item bonus from the mutagen. It does set a +0 cap for your Dex bonus. (Mountain Stronghold raises that to +1.)The people at Paizo have noted that this is specifically not an intended interaction and will be errata'd to not work in some fashion ASAP.
Whether that'll hit Mountain Stance or Drakeheart Mutagen is still a bit ambiguous, but this combo is not long for this world.
Poor Mountain Stance. It keeps getting revised downward. Where did they announce that?